Code: We have a problem
by The Pygairian
Summary: Megamind is working on a surprise for Roxanne, but something goes terribly, horribly, wrong. Set a year after the movie. T for violence. Absolutely, positively, NO SWEARING In this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Smoke and sparks flew everywhere. Nathan Hendrickson coughed and shielded his face from a sudden burst of sparks. He crouched behind some cargo to try and clear his head.

He went over what he knew so far, trying to ignore all the alarms and noises coming from the ship around him.

 _1\. The starship eclipse had been attacked. 2. The attackers where the infamous alien race, the Dushrah. 3. The captain and most of the crew had been taken captive. 4. Those of them that hadn't been taken where hiding and running for their lives. 5. They'd be slaves to the Dushrah forever unless one of them could make it back to the bridge to send out the universal distress signal. Then, maybe, by some miraculous chance, the distress signal would make it back to earth in time, and they'd send a rescue party._

Nathan shook his head. The odds were against them, but he had to try. There was a service shaft nearby, for the engineers, that he could use to get to the bridge if he only could get by the Dushrah sentry at the end of...

"You aren't thinking of trying something stupid, are you?" A quiet voice said in Nathan's ear. The young pilot felt his heart leap into his throat and turned quickly. His hand shot to his gun holster. Quicker than he could react, a hand grasped his wrist, keeping him from drawing it. Nathan gasped and looked at the face that the voice belonged to.

"Careful, or you might hurt someone you don't intend to." The man's face was scrunched in an expression of reproach.

"Commander Cumberback!" Nathan hissed, staring at the gray-haired man crouching next to him. "You nearly frightened the life out of me."

Cumberback smirked apologetically. "Sorry. You looked like you were going to try something stupid. I thought I'd save you the trouble. You were planning on climbing through the service shafts, weren't you? It wouldn't have worked. The Dushrah have all the systems hacked. There are surveillance cameras and motion sensors inside."

Nathan frowned but didn't reply. He mentally slapped himself for not thinking of that, and at the moment, hated Cumberback for being so smart. Of course, they have control of the surveillance by now.

"Don't worry," Cumberback said. "There are other ways. This ship wasn't originally a government vessel. She still has a few tricks up her sleeves." The commander smiled slightly. "If we can get past the Dushrah guard, there's a hidden emergency shaft leading to the engine room. We can send a distress signal from there, and then we can loop back around, and see if we can spring the captain. They haven't taken him far yet."

Nathan nodded. "Do you have any weapons?"

"I have the plasma sword, and all my usuals," Cumberback replied.

Nathan nodded. "I have my gun and my arm."

Cumberback nodded, acknowledging Nathan's cybernetic arm. "We have no time to waste." The commander said, glancing around, wearily. "Let's go."

* * *

Megamind stepped back to admire his latest invention. The teleportation watch. By modifying his holo-watch, he now had (at least in theory) the ability to teleport anywhere in the city. And if this test proved positive, perhaps anywhere in the country. A wide grin spread across Megamind's blue face. In about twenty minutes, Minion would walk in with a blindfolded and totally clueless Roxanne, and Megamind would whisk her off to an undisclosed location. They were celebrating a year since Titan had been defeated, and he had a special plan in mind. All he had left to do was some minor adjustments, and then it should be done.

Megamind strapped the watch around his gloved wrist and smiled. He really didn't need to test it. He knew it would work, just like all his inventions, but, he thought, he might as well, knowing that Minion would have a fit if he didn't. It always bothered the fish when he didn't test his inventions before using them.

"What if one day your calculations are off, Sir?" Minion had said, time and time again. Megamind chuckled at the thought. His calculations had never been wrong before, and he told minion so, to witch the fish replied, with agitation, "Someday, you'll get yourself killed."

So, for Minion's sake, he'd test this before actually taking Roxanne with him.

He set the coordinance to just outside evil lair. No need to go far; just enough to make Minion happy. Then, he pressed the activation button.

He felt a slight tingling feeling, and the world around him faded to grey. Then, he found himself standing with his face toward the secret entrance of the lair. _Perfect_ , he thought, _Now I can get back to work_.

He was about to press the recall button, to teleport back inside, when something hit him in the back of his head, hard. With a cry, he fell forward. His head hit the ground, sending shooting pain throughout his skull. He heard his watch activate. He quickly looked at the face of the watch, wondering what button he had accidentally pressed. It was cracked, and there was a red ERROR light blinking. To his horror, he saw the words 'Emergency teleportation' appear. Before he could react, the world around him began to gray.

* * *

Nathan ran forward and tackled the Dushrah from behind. The reptilian figure shrieked in surprise and clawed at his arm that was around its throat. But the alien's claws were useless against Nathan's titanium plated cybernetic arm.

Cumberback burst from his hiding place and aimed one of his odd gadgets at the alien, firing. The alien fell, stunned. Nathan let go, allowing the reptilian figure to slump all the way to the floor.

An alarm started blaring. Cumberback cursed. "They must have heard him shriek," He said quickly, motioning toward the limp figure on the floor. "They'll alert the whole area of our presence. We need to go-..." Cumberback gaged suddenly and clutched at his head.

"Commander Cumberback?" Nathan asked, confusion and worry filling him. Cumberback was breathing hard. "John," Nathan said, using Cumberback's first name. "Are you okay?"

Cumberback gasped. "Something... something's pulling at me..."

Nathan knelt down by him, fearing the Dushrah had realized Cumberback was not, in fact, human. He was part of an alien race called Pygairians, that looked remarkably similar to humans (aside from the piercing grey eyes, and the shaggy grey hair, he looked like any other ordinary human), and unfortunately, they were extremely sensitive to psychic attacks.

"It doesn't feel like a telepathic attack..." Cumberback muttered after a moment. "...Its...Warm. Inviting-..." Cumberback tensed, and then took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Anyway... We need to get the engineering deck. Come on." Cumberback led Nathan down the corridor. They rounded the next corner, and Cumberback jumped back in surprise.

Several Dushrah stood in front of them. They looked equally surprised to see a Human and Pygairian in front of them, as Cumberback was to see them. Almost instantly, Cumberback whipped out a thin metal device, and with a flick of his wrist, a shimmering green blade extended.

The Dushrah charged them. Cumberback did his best to hold them off, but Nathan could see whatever it was that had messed with his mind was weakening him. Nathan was soon overtaken by the two Dushrah that attacked him. And Cumberback wasn't far behind. They pinned him to the wall, and, in spite of his struggles, he could not escape.

As soon as they were caught, a larger Dushrah came into view. It grinned, showing off fangs. "Put them with the others," It said.

The Dushrah that were holding them started roughly pulling them along the passageway. Nathan didn't bother struggling; The Dushrah could crush him if they wanted.

Suddenly, the Dushrah holding Cumberback cried out in alarm and let go of the Pygairian. Nathan saw there was a blue glow around the Commander. Cumberback looked at Nathan in alarm and surprise.

Quickly, the blue engulfed Cumberback, and then it faded. Nathan and the Dushrah stared.

Finally, Nathan said, in a low voice, "Where, in the seven galaxies, did he go?

* * *

Megamind woke in the familiar surroundings of Evil Lair. the first thing he noticed was a throbbing pain behind his eyes, and he was lying on the cold, hard floor. He could feel his bare hands resting on the floor. That confused him.

He blinked, trying to remember what had happened. Had his invention exploded, knocking him out? When and why would he have taken his gloves off? He certainly didn't remember taking them off. As a matter of fact, he didn't remember much at all. He looked around the room for anything that might clue him in on what had happened. His eyes rested on the dark shape on the floor. It looked familiar. The black cape, the spiky gloves and shin guards, the large blue head...

Suddenly, it hit Megamind with a sting worse than a brain bot bite.

 _He was staring at his own body, limp, on the floor._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope You're enjoying this!**

* * *

 _He was looking at his own body, limp, on the floor._

Megamind took a sharp breath inward. His mind raced. Had his invention exploded, Killing him? Was he viewing himself from some sort of afterlife? _No,_ he thought to himself. He wasn't an expert but he guessed if he had died, he wouldn't have a pounding headache.

Megamind relaxed ever so slightly. But, if he wasn't dead, what was going on? He sorted through the possibilities. It could be a clone... It could be minion with the Holo-watch on... No, the Holo-watch was out of use due to his recent modifications... He could just be having a very strange dream. But he had never actually felt pain in his dreams before, and this felt much too vivid.

Megamind's eyes wandered down to his hands on his lap. His heart skipped a beat.

Instead of his normal black leather gloves, his hands were bare, and his skin was a pale peach. His hands were _Human._ Megamind closed his eyes, not daring to inspect himself further. He fought the panic building in his heart. _Calm down!_ he told himself. _There has to be a logical explanation. Or maybe you're just going insane..._

Megamind paused a moment, shaking his head, unable to believe what was going on. Then, he saw the limp body on the floor stir. Megamind quickly stood.

"Uuhhh..." His other self-groaned. "Nothing's worse than a throbbing headache." He struggled onto his hands and knees and then paused. He seemed to have caught sight of his hands. He examined the black, spike-covered gloves, confusion on his face.

"What the..." He muttered, and then he looked up and caught sight of Megamind a few feet away from him. His eyes practically leaped from his head, and he literally jumped to his feet. His hand caught the handle of the de-gun on his hip, and he drew it, aiming at Megamind. His hand was shaking, and his face looked shocked.

Megamind gasped, confused, and wondering what the heck was going on. He slowly lifted his hands in the air. They stood there a moment, staring at each other, with intermittent glances at the gun on Megamind's part, and looks of confusion from the man holding it. Finally, Megamind's double lowered the gun, tentatively.

"What's going on?" He asked, alarm in his eyes. "Who are you? I mean, why are you... Me?"

Megamind lowered his hands, exasperated. "I'm you? Have you looked at yourself? You are obviously me."

The blue-skinned figure furrowed his brow and looked down at himself. He dropped the de-gun in surprise. "What the...?!" He stared at his clothes, and then he looked up, quickly putting a hand on his face, feeling it. A frown came over his face. "Thin face... Facial hair..." His face paled. "Oooh no..." He groaned, running his hands down his face. "No! Not this! Anything but this!"

Megamind frowned. "Anything but what?"

His double looked at him, clearly distressed. "Apparently there's been some sort of mental transference, A sort of..." He paused, trying to find the words, "...memory... Internal-self swap... But that would take extreme mental strength, and an immense amount of telepathic energy, not to mention the fact that the chances of us both surviving are nearly a billion to one..." His face took on a sort of reverence. "Whoever did this is either insanely lucky or a seasoned pro who knows what he's doing."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Slow down. What's all this about telepathic energy and insane luck?" Megamind's headache had worsened, which didn't help his thinking. He rubbed his temples, trying to understand what the figure across from him had just said. "...And why did you say I look like you?"

Megamind's double raised an eyebrow. "Look at yourself!"

Megamind looked down. He had a dark brown leather jacket on, and a belt with several devices and gadgets on it, as well as dark brown boots, and a white button-up shirt. He frowned and felt his face with his hands. Instead of the thin, sharp, face that he was used to, he felt a rounder, youthful face. He had no facial hair, and when he reached up to feel his head, he was startled to find that it was a normal human size, and covered in thick, messy, hair. He stared at his counterpart.

The blue-skinned figure watched him with patience. Megamind narrowed his eyes. He was starting to piece this together. _Internal-self swap, he'd said_...

"Wait, Are you saying that we... switched bodies?" Megamind asked, slowly. The man across from him nodded, slowly, an apologetic look on his face. Megamind felt his vision blur, and he stumbled. Almost instantly, the other man was by his side, supporting him.

"Easy there..." He said, helping him to his chair, a few yards away. As soon as he was seated, the man in Megamind's body said, "My name is John Cumberback, by the way."

Megamind blinked at him, confused. "My name is Megamind, incredibly handsome, super genius, and defender of Metrocity," he replied, without really thinking about how that would sound.

"Metrocity?" Cumberback asked, confused. "Is that a planet?"

Megamind frowned. "Excuse me. I mean Metro city."

"Ahh," Cumberback said, glancing around himself. "Do you live here?"

Megamind nodded. He was wishing very hard for Tylenol and a donut right now.

Cumberback nodded slowly and looked around at the lair more closely. Catching sight of the papers hanging from the ceiling, he walked over to investigate. Megamind followed him with his eyes. _Is that really what I look like from the outside?_ He thought to himself, shaking his head. _I had no idea I was so... so..._

Cumberback disrupted his thoughts. "Is this a design for a holographic disguise generator?" He asked. He was looking at the design for the holo-watch. "I understand the concept." He continued, without waiting for an answer. "Warping the light around the wearer to give him the desired outward appearance. I tried my hand at inventing one of these, years ago, but I didn't want it badly enough. I had more pressing matters..." He fell silent. He was looking at his hands again. He turned abruptly to Megamind again.

"So... What race did you say you were?" He asked.

Megamind looked at him. "I... I didn't. Why do you want to know?"

Cumberback scratched his (Megamind's) head. "Well, it would help me understand how well your mind will hold up in a Pygairian body, and how well my mind should hold up. I'd hate for one of us to die because our minds don't fit in our temporary bodies."

Megamind looked at him. _T_ _hat was very blunt,_ He thought. "I'm a Sythian." He said.

Cumberback frowned. "I've never heard of that race, which is saying a lot."

"I'm the only one left," Megamind replied, not without bitterness.

Cumberback paused, a slight pain coming into his eyes. "I'm sorry." He said, softly. "I'm one of the only left of my kind as well. I'm Pygairian."

Megamind frowned. "I've never heard of your race either."

Cumberback frowned. "That's unusual. Everyone knows what a Pygairian is. We're as commonly known as the humans. We were once one of the strongest factions of the federation."

"Federation?" Megamind asked, confused.

"The federation of planets. You know, the humans and drealings and all the other people?" Cumberback frowned at Megamind's blank stare. "Let's see," He said, rubbing his head, and leaning on one of the control panels, as if suddenly tired. "Can you tell me what planet I'm on? That might help me explain this in a way you can understand."

"You're on earth." Megamind saw his own familiar face pale, and Cumberback leaned on the panel more heavily.

"But... That's impossible. I... You..." He was speechless. Megamind saw his thin body wilt and Cumberback collapsed. He rushed to his side to make sure he was okay, picking up the de-gun on the way. He knelt by his own body and checked his pulse. His heart was beating steadily. He must have fainted from shock. But, of all the things that had happened, he was most shocked to find out he was on earth? Megamind shook his head. He doubted his day could get any more complicated.

Suddenly, He heard a gasp. Turning quickly, He saw minion, paused mid-step, both hands on a blindfolded Roxanne's shoulders. Megamind immediately realized what this must look like to the fish. A strange man leaning over his master who is on the ground, unconscious. And to top it all off, he had the de-gun in his hand.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Minion's face was full of horror and confusion. Roxanne, still blindfolded, got a peculiar look on her face.

"...Now, Minion..." Megamind said slowly, dropping the de-gun, and putting his hands up in defense. "I can explain."

* * *

 **Thanks so much for reading! Please review!**

 **Special thanks to Kassolas for proofreading. You guys should go ahead and check out their profile.**

 **If anyone has any idea's for sub-plots that they'd like to share, they'd be appreciated, and given a shout out. Please keep in mind, I won't necessarily accept your idea's, but i'll still appreciate them, and give you a shout out.**

 **Also, For those who may be interested, Cumberback has a british accent.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone reading this! Please review and tell me what you think!**

* * *

 _" Sir, We have a problem..."_

 _There was a loud choaking noise, and a coughing fit. Soon, it subsided. "I'm afraid I miss heard you, Dr. Crimson..." The low, icy, voice sent chills down Dr. Crimson's spine. He swallowed._

 _"No, sir... y-you see, They both s-survived..." Crimson braced himself for a violent response from his master, but the shadowy shape didn't move. Soon, Crimson could hear a low, menacing, laugh._

 _"Is that all?" The hiss-like voice asked, amusement riddling his sharp tone._

 _Crimson frowned. He had been sure his master would be furious. "Well, sir," He continued, "Th-they seem to have... s-successfully... body swapped..." He trailed off when he head his master's sharp intake of breath._

 _"Bodyswap? How? Your calculations were impeccable... Aside from the intended mistakes, of course." The shadowy figure chuckled, menacingly._

 _Dr. Crimsion shrugged, uneasily. "I don't understand it. It should have worked according to plan. It should have looked like an accident."_

 _His master stayed silent a moment. "This is a most interesting turn of events..." He muttered. "Most interesting... We must observe them a while. It may be more useful than simply killing them. Send the drones to spy on them. Perhaps we can learn from them."_

* * *

"I can explain."

Minion didn't seem to hear Megamind, and his face took on its distinct You-messed-with-sir-and-you're-going-to-regret-it look. Minion charged. Megamind yelped and scrambled away. Roxanne, sensing something was wrong, pulled her blindfold off. She took in the situation quickly. Before Minion had gotten to Megamind, Roxanne was headed toward his limp body.

Megamind immediately realized that running away in this body was not the same as running away in his real body. He stumbled a few times, trying to get used to the feel, and he paused a moment to regain his balance. That was all it took. Minion slammed into him from behind, sending the two of them skidding across the floor, and making them crash into one of his many piles of unused machines and old inventions. Bits of machine tumbled down all around them, and Megamind raised his arms to shield his face.

He grappled with Minion for a moment, finding that his current body was much stronger than his original, and he could actually put up a decent fight against Minion's suit. Then, they heard Megamind's old voice shout, "Get back!"

Minion paused and looked over. Megamind followed his eyes. Cumberback was on his knees, shakily pointing the De-Gun at Roxanne, who had her hands up, a look of confusion and worry on her face. Megamind mentally slapped himself. Of course, Cumberback will be confused. He has no idea who these people are, and he see's one of them wrestling with Megamind. Of course, he'll think they're being attacked.

"No, they're friends!" Megamind shouted, quickly. Cumberback blinked and looked at Megamind.

"You say that as one of them holds you to the ground?" He frowned, skeptically, but he lowered the gun.

Minion looked at them for a moment. "Whats going on, Sir?" He asked Cumberback. Cumberback didn't seem to realize he was being addressed. When he saw that Minion was looking at him his eyes widened.

"Don't look at me! I just got here. Ask him. He seems to be the only one here who isn't utterly confused." He pointed at Megamind.

Minion tentatively allowed Megamind to get up. Megamind dusted himself off and turned to the expectant Roxanne and Minion.

"Well..." Megamind started, not sure how to explain. "You see... I... He... He's really me, and I'm really him." Roxanne and Minion stared. "Let me rephrase that. I really am Megamind. His name is John Cumberback."

That only seemed to confuse them more. Cumberback sighed. "We're victims of an extremely rare and dangerous occurrence where to unfortunate people accidentally switch bodies. You see, Megamind's mind is in my body, and my mind is in his. Thus the term 'Bodyswap'."

Roxanne stared at Cumberback. Then she looked at Megamind. He shrugged innocently.

"Let me get this straight." She started. "You," She pointed at Cumberback, "Are a different man trapped in Megamind's body?" Cumberback nodded. "And you," She pointed at Megamind, "Are the Metro City's hero trapped in that guy's body?" Megamind nodded.

Roxanne shook her head. It seemed unbelievable. Then again, pretty much everything involving Megamind seemed that way. She decided to take their word for it. "How did this happen? "

Megamind opened his mouth to reply, but Cumberback interrupted him. "That was what we were trying to figure out before I lost consciousness. Based on the fact that he doesn't know what a Pygairian is, and I'm on earth, I've either traveled through time or..." He paled slightly, "I've somehow dimension hopped. Either of those could be disastrous. Particularly the traveling back in time. But, somehow I don't think that's what happened. I've encountered time travel before, and it was nothing like this. Besides, I sense no timeline disruption..." Cumberback trailed off.

Megamind stared at him. "How do you know so much about these sorts of things?"

Cumberback smiled. "My alien race is extremely sensitive to the energies of the universe, Particularly the energy of the space-time continuum. Of everyone in the federation, so far, we've gotten the closest to stable time travel, because of our understanding of the energy. Also, Due to an accident some years ago, I and a friend of mine were sent back in time a few hundred years, and I was exposed to an intense amount of displacement energy or time travel energy. This feels nothing like that. While we're on the subject of race, may I ask if you have any allergies?" He turned to Megamind again.

Megamind stared. This man's mind was extremely disorganized. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Are there any foods or substances that are poisonous to you? I'd hate to accidentally poison myself."

"Oh," Megamind said, realizing what he meant. "Not that I know about. Just the same as humans."

Cumberback nodded. "Well, I wish I could say the same about my body. I'm allergic to a lot of things, such as pencil lead, caffeine, large amounts of sugar, sycamore tree roots, concentrated amounts of Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, among other things. On the bright side, though, my body is immune to most human poisons."

Megamind stared a moment. "So, If someone threatens me with a pencil, I should be worried?" He smirked. Cumberback nodded, with a perfectly serious look on his face.

"May I ask why you were unconscious in the first place?" Roxanne asked Cumberback. He stared at her a moment as if processing what she had said. "Oh, Yes, Well... You see, My mind isn't used to this body yet. I didn't faint out of shock, as Megamind may be thinking. I fainted out of having my mind squeezed into a brain it's not used to. Megamind also might be suffering from similar effects."

Megamind nodded. "I have a throbbing headache behind my eyes." He replied.

Cumberback looked at them a moment. "May I ask who your friends are?" He asked Megamind, motioning toward Roxanne and Minion.

Megamind was about to reply when he felt a stabbing sensation in his chest. He cried out in pain and crumpled over. Minion, who was closest to him, caught him before he fell to the floor.

Cumberback practically leaped to Megamind's side. Megamind, while gasping violently, instinctively looked down at his chest to see if there was something stabbing into it, but from the outside, it looked normal.

Cumberback helped Minion lay Megamind on the floor. "Where does it hurt?" He asked. Megamind clutched at his chest, unable to speak. Cumberback understood. He quickly placed two fingers on the right side of Megamind's neck. "Right pulse is very weak..." He muttered. He looked Megamind in the eye. "My guess is your mind isn't used to controlling two hearts. Your right heart is... starting to shut down."

"Wait, You have two hearts?" Roxanne asked.

Cumberback nodded. "Due to my home planet having higher gravity than earth, my species developed a second heart to help our blood be pumped to our heads. And, because Megamind hasn't ever had a second heart before, his mind isn't telling it to pump blood, and as a result, the other heart is starting to shut down."

"Is he dying?" Minion asked.

"No. His right heart isn't dying. More like its falling asleep." Cumberback put one hand on the side of Megamind's head. "Its deadly either way, though. I'll have to teach his mind how to use this body. This should only take a moment." He put his other hand on the other side of Megamind's head, and both the aliens' eyes closed. Megamind stopped gasping in pain almost immediately.

After a moment, Cumberback let go. "He'll be okay." He said, quietly. Megamind didn't stir.

"What did you do?" Roxanne asked, casting a worried glance at the limp body on the floor.

"I telepathically instructed him how to use my body. He shouldn't have any more issues of this kind." Cumberback stood. "In the meantime, He should be put in a comfortable bed to rest and kept warm. I'm sure you can attend to that." He looked at Minion. The fish nodded.

"Good." Cumberback turned away. "I have work to do."

* * *

 **Thanks so much to all the reviews! I appreciate them a lot!**

 **Man! I can't believe I'm on chapter three already! This story is coming quickly.**

 **Before anyone asks, No, Pygairians were not based on Timelords. Its a coincidence, because I didn't even know Timelords existed when I created Pygairians.**

 **Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Please review!**

* * *

Roxanne sat at the 'kitchen' table and watched the familiar blue, cape-clad figure as he paced back and forth. He had an expression of contemplation on his face. He would mutter things to himself, and pause a moment, only to continue pacing. Every now and again, he inspected himself again, confusion and curiosity on his face.

Roxanne clutched the dehydration gun in her hand, just in case. She still wasn't sure she entirely believed the story about them switching bodies. But it was the only explanation for why 'Megamind' was acting so strange. She shook her head. Whatever had happened, they could find a way to fix it. They had to. She just wished she could get answers to her questions.

The blue alien paused as if he knew she was thinking about him. He looked at her. "You have questions?"

Roxanne smiled uncertainly. 'Cumberback', as he called himself, nodded.

"Of course, of course. And I owe you answers." He walked over to the table and sat across from her. "Shoot." He said.

Roxanne thought a moment. "Who are you, and where do you come from."

"I already told you my name, and I'm a commander and second officer of the Federation starship Eclipse." He answered, coolly, intertwining his fingers and setting his hands on the table in front of him. There was an odd look in his eyes that Roxanne wasn't sure she liked.

"How did you get here? And why are you here?" She asked staring him in the eye. He stared back.

"Some sort of teleportation, though I don't know the details. I didn't exactly come here by choice. All I know about why is that whoever did it can't have done it on purpose, unless they were extremely reckless, or simply wanted to see what would happen."

"Why do you say that?"

"The calculations are flawed. It's much too risky. You can't just send someone to a different dimension while simultaneously forcing a body swap - A successful bodyswap - where both parties involved survive. That's just too risky. However, If someone was trying to develop interdimensional travel, for instance, or perhaps a time machine, chose your friend and I as, shall we say, 'victims', and by chance made some mistakes..." He paused, letting Roxanne fill in the rest. After a moment, he continued. "The odds are a million to one, but possible. So, I've concluded, If someone wanted to do this on purpose, and succeed, they would have gone about it in a different way. A safer way. This could only be an accident."

Roxanne nodded. She had learned to understand Megamind's ramblings, so she had a good idea of what Cumberback was trying to say.

"Any more?" Cumberback asked. Roxanne realized she had stayed quiet for a long moment.

"Yes... How... How can I trust you? Like, how do I know you won't _seem_ to be helping us, and then suddenly turn around and stab one of us in the back?"

"You can certainly trust me not to harm your friend. He's currently in my body, and any harm he suffers is harm to my body... and that includes harm to his mind. As for you, and the fish man, well... You might just have to have faith in me. You have my word that I won't intentionally harm you, nor anyone else, except in defense."

Roxanne nodded. She knew that would probably be the best she got from him, at least now. She couldn't think of any ways he could prove his loyalty to her. "You said you Telepathically instructed Megamind to be able to use your body. What did you mean by that?"

She saw, only for a moment, Cumberback's cool outward appearance falter, showing her a glimpse of something deeper... something... almost... afraid. Perhaps he was more human-like than he seemed. He quickly covered it up again. "My race is naturally... telepathic." He winced at the word.

"So you can read my thoughts?" Roxanne stood in alarm, openly clutching the de-gun closer. She suddenly wished Minion were here, just in case Cumberback tried anything.

"No! Yes! I mean, don't panic!" Cumberback stood with her, holding his hands up in defense. "Let me explain!"

Roxanne stared at him in distrust but, finally, nodded slowly, lowering the De-gun.

Cumberback took a deep breath. "First thing you must know is that It's against my species moral code to enter a person's mind without their willing permission. Not only should I not, it would be extremely hard for me to try and force my way into your mind. So, to answer your question... Yes... If you let me, I could see your thoughts, but not unless you allowed me to. I don't even know if this body has the strength to withstand that sort of telepathic interaction emanating from it..." Cumberback sighed, rubbing his temples. "I assure you, your mind is perfectly safe from me, though I understand if you want nothing to do with me now. You're welcome to leave if you want. I'm afraid I have no choice but to stay for now though."

Roxanne felt a sudden pity toward the alien, and she lowered the gun, relaxing a bit.

Cumberback plopped back down in his chair, and rested a hand on his forehead, closing his eyes.

Roxanne sat back down. "It's okay." She said, quietly. Cumberback opened his eyes and looked up. "You can't help it." Roxanne continued. "It's just the way your race is. I'm sorry I started freaking out before you could explain." Cumberback smiled slightly, and he opened his mouth to say something.

"Who wants cookies?" Minion's voice interrupted the blue alien, starting Roxanne. She saw Cumberback jump. The fish entered, holding a tray of chocolate chip cookies, and he put them on the table. Cumberback frowned and shied away when Minion offered him one. Roxanne frowned.

"Don't tell me you haven't ever eaten a cookie before," She frowned.

Cumberback shrugged. "I don't make a habit of eating sugar. In my real body, It works like alcohol does in humans. I'd be drunk if I ate only a few."

Roxanne laughed. "Well, They don't do that to Megamind. You can eat as many as you want." She held one out to him. He took it tentatively and took a small bite. He frowned but continued eating it.

Roxanne watched. "Do you like it?"

Cumberback swallowed. "Hard to say." He replied. "How would you feel eating something delicious that you had never eaten before because it made you go into a drunken rage, and in extream cases, killed you?"

Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "I can see why that might make you not enjoy it as much."

Cumberback smirked, and Roxanne smiled.

"I'll just be down in the laundry room, If you need me, Miss Richie." Minion said, quietly. He lumbered off, humming quietly.

"So," Cumberback asked, after a few minutes of silence. "May _I_ ask you some questions?"

Roxanne nodded. "Go right ahead."

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Roxanne Richie."

"How do you and Megamind know each other?"

Roxanne actually started laughing. Cumberback got a confused look on his face. "Did... Was it something I said?" he asked, tentatively.

"No... It's just that that's a really long and eventful story," Roxanne said. "I guess you could say... He kidnapped me, and the rest is history."

Cumberback's face grew concerned. Roxanne started laughing again. "No, It's not like that. You see, before He was Metro City's hero, He was the supervillain, and I was the damsel in distress."

Cumberback frowned. "He was the supervillain?"

"He was. Not anymore. He's changed." Roxanne expected Cumberback to argue with her, as most people did, that the never really change, but instead, he shrugged it off.

"I guess that explains his fashion sense." He replied, glancing down at the black and blue leather suit he was wearing.

Roxanne laughed harder. Cumberback smiled slightly. Then, he paused. He was looking at his hand. He looked up at Roxanne, glancing at the ring on her hand. "You're married?" He asked, holding up his hand. She saw Megamind's engagement ring.

"No, we're engaged." She replied. Cumberback nodded.

"How long?" He asked.

"Three months."

Cumberback nodded. "Congratulations." He seemed soberer now, as if he were hiding his outgoing, joky, self again, and putting his mask back on.

He stood, quickly. "Thank you, Miss Richie. I enjoyed our talk. But I must get back to work. If I can't figure out how this happened, Megamind and I may be stuck like this forever." He bowed, curtly, and returned to his pacing.

Roxanne frowned. Cumberback, if only for a few minutes, had opened up a bit. He had seemed more... _Human_. She wished she could understand the alien. At least help him seem more comfortable.

She opened her mouth to say something when Cumberback suddenly cried out in pain. She stood quickly, knocking her chair over. Cumberback turned around quickly. Roxanne could see the distinct shape of a dart sticking from his chest. He had a look of surprise and confusion on his face.

His face paled, his eyes rolled back, and he fell, limp. Roxanne started toward him, in concern, but she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She slapped her hand on the pricking pain and pulled a small dart from her skin. She hardly had enough time to register what was happening, before she collapsed.

* * *

 **MUAHAHAHAHAhahackhack... *cough cough cough, gasp* Darn evil laughs! Anyway, Back to business. Thank you to everyone who's reading this. Please review!**

 **Thank you to everyone who helped with this chapter! The next one should be out soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally! Sorry this chapter took so long! I hope you all like it! Please review!**

* * *

Megamind woke to a sharp smell of burnt leather mixed with sulfur. He opened his eyes, only to find his vision blocked by thick fabric. He swallowed his panic as he tried moving his hands, only to find them tied behind his back. He moved his feet, and his panic lessened. Whoever this was can't be a professional. They neglected to tie his feet.

He heard voices, steadily getting louder. He started catching bits and pieces of the conversation.

"...Megamind will wake soon..."

"...threaten his... "

"...why not just ... he won't ... infuser gun..."

"Excuse me?" Megamind asked. The voices stopped. He heard footsteps approaching him, and the sack was pulled off of his head. He gasped.

He was looking at a humanoid reptilian figure. It had dark green scales, long grey hair, that was pulled back in a ponytail. and it wore a dark hoodie and blue jeans.

"I wouldn't make trouble if I were you," it, or rather she, he found on closer inspection, hissed. "Master told me if things don't go according to plan, I can use these." She held up her hand and showed Megamind the long claws.

"Why am I here?" He asked. The reptilian girl smiled, her pointed teeth gleaming.

"Master told me not to tell you that." She replied.

Megamind frowned, but then asked, "May I ask what you are? I've never seen anything like you before."

"I am a Jahian." She replied, not without some pride.

"Where are you from? I know some of the inhabited systems out there."

The reptilian's face softened. "I don't know... I was brought here when I was still an egg to be a slave to my master."

"I'm sorry," Megamind said, genuinely. "That's terrible. I hope you gain your freedom someday. Slavery is a sin."

She smiled, genuinely, this time. "Thank you." She whispered, softly.

Megamind was about to ask another question when a sharp voice shouted at them. He couldn't understand the words, but somehow, he knew they meant she needed to stop talking. The Jahian cowered, replying, and quickly left. Megamind shook his head, hating that look of fear she got on her face. He wished he could help her.

He looked around, and caught sight of another hostage, nearby. He immediately recognized it as Roxanne, even though her head was still covered in a thick sack.

He hoped she was okay.

Continuing to look around, Megamind found they were in some sort of laboratory. There were tables with beakers and strange concoctions on them, and he caught sight of his De-gun lying on one of the tables. There were several other gadgets that he recognized as being Cumberback's devices.

Cumberback.

Everything flooded back to him. The body swap. They thought he was Cumberback, not himself. Not Megamind. But where was Cumberback?

As if to answer him, a light turned on, illuminating the blue alien. He was tied to a chair, and he was gagged. He blinked and lifted his head. He must be just waking up from the sedatives, Megamind thought.

"Greetings, Megamind." A man walked into view. Cumberback squinted at the man and tried to say something.

"Ihn hnmt mhghind..." was all that came out.

"You have something we want." The man said. He got right up in Cumberback's face. Cumberback drew back as far as he could. The man continued, in a low voice. "You made a serum that could change any ordinary man into a superhero. You will tell us how you made it, or your friends will suffer the consequences. "

A light illuminated Megamind and Roxanne. The sack had been pulled off her head.

Cumberback's eyes widened for a moment. As soon as they removed his gag, he said, quickly, "Roxanne, are you okay? Did they hurt you? Cumberback! Thank goodness you're okay!"

Megamind frowned for a moment. Was he really that concerned? And, he'd called Megamind Cumberback. Then, he saw Cumberback look him in the eye, and his mouth twitched up toward a smile for a split second. Then it was replaced by his look of concern again.

Realization hit Megamind. Cumberback was playing along.

"You will give us what we want, Or Metro city will be destroyed."

Cumberback raised an eyebrow. "If I give you the powers of a superhero, you'll destroy Metro city anyway." He smiled slightly. "That threat is hollow. You can do better than that."

The man frowned. "Your fiancee and friend will be thrown in the lake to drown if you don't give us the formula for the serum."

Cumberback nodded. "Yes," he said, drawing out the 'eh' sound. "Yes, that's much better. But you have to raise your eyebrow a bit and do an evil laugh afterward, or it just doesn't have that villainous feel to it, you know?" Cumberback made an evil grin. "Mwahahahaha!" He laughed like a maniac. Then, His face grew serious. "Like that."

The man growled in frustration. "How did you do it?"

Cumberback smiled. "Its just my natural villainous charm. But anyone can learn to make good threats and wiggle their eyebrows a bit. It's easy-"

The man swung his hand to slap him. Before he could slap Cumberback, Cumberback leaned back in his chair just enough that the man's hand swished by, hardly an inch from his face. Cumberback's chair landed back on all four legs, gently. He grinned at the man, raising an eyebrow.

"Cruelty isn't a way to get what you want," Cumberback muttered in a low voice, staring at the man from under his dark eyebrows.

Megamind watched, fascination riddling his face. Cumberback was stalling, and he was playing the part well, though Megamind hoped that wasn't how he acted. He looked over at Roxanne. She had a smirk on her face.

The man got right in cumberback's face. "Tell us how you made a normal man into a superhero." He said, his voice venomous.

Cumberback frowned. "Getting angry isn't a good way, either. Perhaps if you say please..."

The man motioned to someone in the shadows. Two figures came up behind Megamind and Roxanne. Megamind felt a cold blade rest under his chin. He stiffened.

"You have ten seconds to start explaining, Or your friend dies. Next, your fiancee. Start talking." The man grinned at Cumberback. His eyes seemed to bore into Cumberback's. Cumberback stared back a moment, and then looked away. He swallowed.

"That works, too. Fine. I can explain it, But you'll never be able to make it work."

"Why?"

"Because there's a missing ingredient. You need the DNA of a superhero. Once you have that, Through concentration of the genetic code, and injecting it in the participant, it will fuse with his own DNA, and make him into one. But, getting the DNA of a superhero alone would be near impossible. Not to mention the fact that I doubt anyone in this world has the brain power or technology to actually make it fuse correctly. Aside from myself, of course."

"Then, how did you do it?" The man asked. Cumberback swallowed. Megamind tensed. He couldn't possibly know about Metro Man's cape.

"Well... I... You see..." Cumberback looked away from the man. He was breathing a bit harder now. "I can't think under the pressure!" He cried suddenly. "How do you expect me to remember that? I've had hundreds of evil plans before. And my share of knocks on the head. My head is a whole lot more sensitive than a human's head. I've had plenty of injuries to it when fighting..." He was gasping. The man's eyes narrowed. Megamind felt a tickle in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt familiar...

"You aren't Megamind..." The man muttered, suddenly. His eyes widened.

Cumberback swallowed. "Whatever gave you that idea? I'm as much Megamind as the sky is blue."

The man smiled, evilly, taking a step back. "You said Metro City. And you claimed to have forgotten. Megamind has said, several times, on live TV, and I quote, 'My memory is imp-eck-able. I never forget anything.'"

Cumberback had sweat rolling down his face. An odd look came over his face "You're telepathic." he muttered, suddenly. The man's eyes widened, and his confidence seemed to drain slightly.

"I'm less in tune right now," Cumberback continued,"But I can still tell when people try to force themselves into my mind. Not to mention, you're an amateur at masking your presence. You were trying to make me crack. You _failed_."

That last word seemed to echo in Megamind's head. He felt the tickle again. He recognized it. Telepathic energy. Cumberback was telepathic.

The man stumbled backward, gasping. Cumberback smiled again, but Megamind saw his face was pale, and his strength was failing. He slumped forward, slightly, breathing hard. "You... You underestimate me." He gasped.

The man turned to someone out of view. "Megamind isn't here. They probably have tracking devices on them. Alert security immediately. Megamind is probably on his way. And," His eyes rested on the hostages again, "Get rid of them."

* * *

 **Once again, I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I hope it was worth it. The next chapter might be a while, but then again it might not. My schedule is really unpredictable right now, so I guess it'll come when it comes.**

 **Thanks to everyone who's helped with this, or reviewed! Special thanks to Kassolas for proofreading. You guys should check out their profile, and read their Megamind fics!**

 **\- The Pygairian**


	6. Chapter 6

"Get rid of them."

Roxanne gasped, her mind immediately jumping to what he meant by that. Before she could protest, someone slapped some duct tape over her mouth, stifling her cries of alarm and fear. The sack was pulled over her head again, and she felt the bonds on her hand's release. Several strong hands restrained her and pulled her to her feet. She felt her hands be tied again, and she was roughly pulled forward.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard an alarm start blaring. Several voices were shouting. She was forced roughly through a doorway, and then dragged forward for a moment. Faintly, in all the chaos, she could hear Megamind and Cumberback shouting.

Suddenly, she was pushed forward, and, For a terrifying moment, found herself falling in open space. Almost immediately, she felt her body hit freezing cold water. The restraints on her hands kept her from treading water. She felt herself sinking. Panic filled her. Then, suddenly, she felt the bonds on her hands be cut lose. Strong arms brought her to the surface. The ductape was gently pulled from her mouth, and she gasped for air.

"Thank yaAAAAHHH!" Roxanne yelled. A reptilian shape, with long grey hair, and sopping wet clothing on was treading water infront of her. Roxanne pushed herself away, in alarm. The lizard-like girl hissed and drew back as if she were startled as well. Then she put a clawed hand over Roxanne's mouth.

"You cannot be making sound," she hissed. "If they find me here, we'll both be dead. Follow me." The reptilian swam away.

Roxanne swam after her, shivering. She glanced around the spacious chamber they were in. It looked like a large tank. There was an island of to one side. That was where the reptilian was headed.

Soon, the water was shallow enough for Roxanne to walk instead of swim. She gasped. The air was frigid. As soon as she got on the island, she collapsed, gasping. She could hear the reptilian climb out of the water. She sat up quickly, and drew her legs to her chest. The reptilian simply collapsed onto the ground, gasping.

After a long moment, Roxanne asked, "Who are you?" The reptilian didn't have time to reply. Suddenly, they heard a sound like metal scraping on metal, and a hatch opened in the ceiling. Someone was thrown in. In the brief moment she saw him, Roxanne recognized the brown jacket, and grey hair. Then he hit the water. The reptilian dived in, swimming quickly toward him.

They sank out of view. Roxanne felt panic rising in her throat, and a feeling of uselessness overwhelmed her.

The reptilian quickly came back to the surface, Megamind in tow. He was gasping and coughing. She dragged him to the island, and then collapsed in exhaustion, panting, and gasping. Megamind looked around, quickly, and his eyes rested in her.

"Roxanne!" He gasps, crawling toward her. He pulled her into a hug. Roxanne stiffens at first, but then relaxed.

"I was so worried about you. Did they hurt you? Are you okay?" Megamind's voice was filled with concern.

Roxanne nodded. "I'm okay. Where's Cumberback?"

As if to answer her, the metal on metal sound started again. The reptilian stood, shakily, but Megamind stopped her. "I'll go." He said. She nodded.

The familiar blue shape of Cumberback fell from the hatch. Megamind dove into the water, swimming toward him. The light from the open hatch vanished, and Roxanne heard the resounding click of a lock. Dread filed her heart.

She heard some splashing out in the water, and then a shout. A few minutes later, Megamind could be seen returning, pulling a limp form with him. As soon as he got out of the water, Roxanne felt her blood run cold. Cumberback was gasping, and there was a large gash in his side. Dark red blood was quickly pooling around him.

Megamind panicked. "What do we do?!" He cried. "He's going to die!"

Cumberback coughed. "Calm down..." he said weakly. "Just stop the bleeding... We'll be fine..."

The reptillian came to Cumberback's side, and he nearly jumped out of his skin, letting out an un-manly squeak.

"It's okay." Megamind assured him. "She's a friend."

She inspected the wound, wincing. "This is bad." She said. "What happened?"

Cumberback hissed through his teath when she touched it gently. "I was trying to save his skin." He winces.

Roxanne frowned "You mean you injured his body trying to save your own?" She felt anger that he would endanger Megamind like that.

"No," Cumberback replied. "I got injured trying to save _his_ body. That thing would have loged itself in my chest, if I hadn't done-..." his voice cut off, and he gasped in pain.

Megamind winces. "Don't talk. Just relax."

Cumberback nodded, clenching he teeth. The reptilian quickly pulled her hoodie off, reveling a grey tank top underneath. She pressed the wet hoodie on the wound, making Cumberback flinch. She turned to Megamind and motioned for him to take over. He nodded, and took her place.

She left them there a moment, and went to the other side of the island, and returned a moment later with a brown satchel. She switched megamind again. "These are yours?" She asks.

He opened the satchel to see the de-gun and Cumberback's odd gadgets.

"Yes. Atleast this one is." He pulled the De-gun out.

Cumberback struggled to see. "What else is there?"

Megamind looked in the bag and pulled out a long, thin, gadget. It was about nine inches long, an inch thick, and had slightly glowing blue spot on the side of it. It was circular, and there were several blue lines spreading out from it, across the body of the gadget.

in spite of his injury, Cumberback practically snatched the device from Megamind's hand. "Yes! Thank goodness! Oh, I thought I'd lost you..." He lovingly caressed the gadget.

Megamind was startled by his reaction, and now tried to calm his racing heart.

"What does it do?" Roxanne asked.

"This is one of my greatest inventions!" Cumberback said, proudly.

"Stop moving." The reptilian hissed at him, dampening his enthusiasm slightly. He stopped moving so she could tend to his injury.

"It's my plasma sword!" Cumberback explained, after a moment.

"Wait, you don't mean..." Megamind started to say.

"Yes." Cumberback replied. He put his thumb on the blue circular spot, and flicked his wrist. Nothing happened. He frowned.

"What do you mean?" Roxanne asked, confused.

"it's supposed to extend when I do that..." Cumberback trailed off. "Except I'm not me anymore." He looked at Megamind. "It'll only respond to me. Meaning you, now." He grumbled. "I should have installed a backup system. Atleast for Nathan. I couldn't have known this would happen..." he winced as the reptilian tended to his wound.

Suddenly, she ripped her hoodie. After she ripped it into strips, she started wrapping the fabric around the wound, holding a clump of fabric in place.

"This should work for now, but you'll need to get something better." She instructed.

Cumberback nodded in thanks. "What's your name?"

"Saori." She said.

"I expect that thin band around your neck is a tracking device? Or is it one of those things that keeps you from leaving?" Cumberback's voice was gentle.

Saori nodded, looking down.

Megamind and Roxanne now noticed a thin metal band around her neck. It had been covered by her hoodie before. It had a green light on the back.

"Well, we can't have that, now can we?" Cumberback smiles slightly. He turned to Megamind. "Hand me the bag."

Megamind handed him the satchel with the gadgets in it.

"It can't be removed." Saori said.

"We'll see about that..." Cumberback said, pulling one of the gadgets out. "Hold as still as you can." He cautioned her.

Before he could do anything, Saori suddenly shrieked in pain, clawing at the collar. She collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain.

"What did you do to her?!" Megamind yelled, panic and fear overwhelming him.

"I didn't do anything! It's the collar! It's going to kill her! Her owner must have figured out where she went!" Cumberback knelt by Saori. "Help me hold her! We have to get that off now or she'll die!"

Megamind knelt on her other side, helping Cumberback.

"What can I do?" Roxanne asked, feeling useless.

"Nothing," Cumberback said, quickly, "Except, pray this actually works."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this! This chapter was long in the making. Mostly because of school and life. Sorry it took so long! Please tell me what you think! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!**

 **P.S. Soleana-doom, Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed it.**

 **All feedback is welcome!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long absence! I've been swamped with school, and will be for a long time. I finished this chapter a while ago, so I thought I'd post it while i had the chance. Here it is!**

Megamind and Cumberback struggled to hold the writhing reptilian down. She shrieked in pain again, clawing at the collar around her neck. With a swift movement, Cumberback flicked a small device from the satchel and pressed it on the green-lighted part of Saori's collar. The device began making a warring noise, steadily rising in pitch.

Saori went limp.

"Hurry!" Megamind said, panic almost choking him.

"I'm trying!" Cumberback said. "I've never done this before! How do you expect me to do it that fast?!"

Megamind looked exasperated. "You've never done this before?"

"Shut up! I can't think with your voice constantly in my ears!" Cumberback snapped.

"It's not my voice! It's your voice anyway!"

In spite of the arguing, Cumberback continued to work. As the seconds ticked by, Roxanne felt more and more hopeless. Saori hadn't moved since she fell limp.

After what seemed an eternity, there was a sharp click, and Cumberback yanked the collar off of Saori, tossing it away as it burned him. Then he gently lifted Saori's head. "Saori, can you hear me? Please, just show me you're still there." He spoke softly to her. Nothing happened.

"She's not breathing..." Megamind realized.

Cumberback cursed and started doing CPR. Roxanne bit her lip, not daring to breathe. Every second that ticked by, the larger the pit in her stomach became. _Saori's dead,_ a voice in her head whispered. _She died and it's our fault._

Cumberback stopped doing CPR but didn't take his eyes off Saori, as if searching for any sign of life. He looked at her, intently. His eyes were focused on her closed eyes. His eyes glazed slightly. Megamind felt a slight tickle in the back of his mind, but this telepathic energy felt different; harsher, and more focused.

"Cumberback..." Megamind's voice was grave. "She's go-..."

He was cut off by Saori suddenly gasping, and her eyes flying open.

Megamind and Roxanne both jumped, startled. Cumberback gasped, and pulled back, slightly. Then he laughed slightly. "Welcome back, Saori." He said, weakly.

"But... but that's impossible!" Megamind practically shouted, before suddenly, stepping forward, and catching Cumberback, who crumbled, gasping. His face was pale.

"What's wrong?" Roxanne asked.

Megamind laid Cumberback on the ground. Cumberback didn't protest and just laid there, gasping quietly.

"Are you okay?" Megamind asked.

"Don't... worry about me..." Cumberback closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing.

Saori coughed violently, and rolled over on her side, clutching her head and throat. She heaved and then emptied her stomach onto the rocks next to her.

Roxanne stared for a moment. "What just happened?" She asked, lacking anything better to say.

"I don't know..." Megamind's eyes were wide.

Saori gasped and was coughing again. Her eyes were wide, and sweat was pouring down her face.

Megamind crouched by her. "Are you okay?"

Her coughs subsided, and she nodded, gasping. Her eyes rested on Cumberback. "He... he saved me..." her voice was filled with disbelief.

Roxanne stayed for a moment, taking it all in. The reality of what had nearly happened hit her. "You almost died..."

"How did he save you?" Megamind asked, perplexed.

"That... that collar. It attacked my mind. But he somehow... I don't know... he just saved me..." Saori seemed equally perplexed.

Megamind looked at the limp form of Cumberback. Cumberback was breathing softly now, and his thin body looked especially frail. Fear settled in the pit of Megamind stomach. They were in danger. Whoever was behind all this wasn't afraid to kill. Cumberback's injury proved that. And now they were trapped.

"We have to find a way out of here." He said, softly, looking around the cavern they were trapped in. The walls were smooth and solid, sloping up to the trap door they had fallen through. There wasn't one crack or seam in the whole thing.

"We're trapped," Roxanne said, looking around as well.

"I know a way out," Saori said, weakly.

Megamind turned to her. "How?"

"Under the water, there's a tunnel. That's how I got in here. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I've never had someone be kind to me before." She looked down, shyly.

Megamind smiled slightly. Then his eyes drifted to his counterpart who was still motionless on the floor. Fear settled in his stomach again. He came over, and knelt by cumberback's side, checking his pulse. It was steady and normal.

"Is he okay?" Roxanne asked.

"Other than the obvious, he's fine," Megamind said.

"I'll be okay..." Cumberback muttered, looking paler by the minute. "Just let me catch my breath..." He was breathing quickly, and shallowly.

"What did you do?" Roxanne asked.

"The collar was using telepathic, or psychic, attacks... as well as forcing Saori's defenses down..." Cumberback gasped between the words. "I overestimated your body's strength... it taxed me more than it should have... I don't know if..." he stopped, and just breathed for a long moment.

"Will you be okay?" Roxanne asked.

"I... don't know..."

Megamind glanced at Roxanne, worry etched on his face. "We need to get out of here. Minion could help. He knows how to care for me more than I do myself." He turned to Saori. "How do we get out?"

"There's a tunnel under the water. But it's a long way. I don't know if you people can hold your breath as long as me."

"My... my body has large lung reserves..." Cumberback said weakly.

"As does mine," Megamind said. He looked at Roxanne. "But... Roxanne... I don't know..." he seemed torn and worried.

"I can swim quickly," Saori said. "I can help her go faster, and then she'll get there on time. She will be okay."

"I don't think Cumberback can swim on his own right now," Megamind said, noting the makeshift bandage around his middle, and his ragged breathing.

"I'll Make it..." Cumberback protested, weakly.

"No, you won't." Megamind insisted. "It's my body, anyway. I know it's limited. I'll help you."

"You don't need to-..." Cumberback tried.

"Yes, I do." Megamind cut off. "You can't change my mind. I've decided."

Cumberback sighed, too weak to protest.

"The sooner we go the better," Roxanne said. "I'm worried about Cumberback. And you." She lowered her voice so only Megamind could hear her. He smiled slightly, sadly.

"I'm worried about you too..." he whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about Cumberback and I. We'll be okay."

Roxanne nodded, though she knew it was a lie.

"We need to hurry," Saori said. "The cold isn't helping your friend. He needs medical attention."

Megamind nodded. He went over to Cumberback's limp form, and helped him to his feet, holding most of his weight.

Saori waded out in the freezing water. "Come." She said, becoming Roxanne. Roxanne shivered, and followed.

Saori held out her hand, and Roxanne took it. "Hold your breath," Saori said. Then, giving Roxanne just enough time to gasp, Saori dived under, pulling Roxanne with her.

Roxanne felt her whole body emerged in the freezing water. She clung to Saori's hand, that pulled her forward, quickly. She lost all sense of direction, as the lithe reptilian pulled her downward. Or, at least she thought it was downward.

Saori guided her through a small opening, about two feet wide, on the floor of the lake. Already, her lungs were starting to burn, and claustrophobia began to threaten her senses.

the walls of the tunnel were rough, and Roxanne had to be careful not to hit them.

After what felt like a long time, Saori stopped them. Roxanne could see a metal gatelike thing blocking their way. Saori seemed frantic, and she started pulling on the metal.

Roxanne felt her head getting light. This was taking too long. She started feeling panicked. Her lungs felt ready to burst. She wanted to gulp big breaths down, but she was surrounded by water.

Water? Wait, why was she in the water? Was she looking for something?

Why did she feel like her head was going to explode? Why couldn't she see very well? Why did she feel so tired?

Vaguely, she saw two other figures approaching. One of them touched her arm. she felt her eyelids grow heavier, and next thing she knew, she descended into darkness.


End file.
